To reduce calories in chewing gum it is often necessary to replace the soluble sugar and/or sugar alcohol bulking agents with low calorie alternatives. The soluble sugar and sugar alcohol bulking agents not only impart necessary sweetness but also a discontinuity to the gum base which results in a softer more pleasant chew and mouth feel.
Flavor release from chewing gum is influenced by many factors, the most important of which are the type and amount of gum base and the type and amount of flavor. The composition of the flavor, if varied, may result in a change of flavor release characteristics. The gum base on the other hand, acts as a trap for the flavor. The stronger the affinity of the flavor components for the gum base, the slower will be the flavor release from the gum.
The problem of slow or delayed flavor release from chewing gum becomes acute when gum base content is high. The current trend and popularity of low or reduced calorie chewing gum products necessitates the use of high gum base levels. An increase of gum base levels requires an appreciable increase of flavor levels in the gum. This increase, however, does not solve the problem of slow flavor release and delayed initial flavor impact upon chewing. Moreover, an appreciable increase in the flavor ingredient may result in excessive softening of the gum giving a poor chew and texture. Good flavor impact and sustained flavor release are desirable attributes in any chewing gum, especially in reduced calorie, high base content chewing gums.
The present invention relates generally to an improved low calorie, high base content chewing gum composition with an increased flavor intensity, duration, and method for its preparation. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of specially extracted or fractionated flavor oils which bring about an enhanced and sustained flavor release in chewing gum compositions with high gum base preparations. In particular, the present invention concerns the use of highly fractionated terpeneless and sesquiterpeneless mint oils in high gum base content gum compositions which results in superior flavor release attributes.
Rockland et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,262 discloses a process for the preparation of terpeneless essential oils whereby the oil is distilled to remove non-volatile materials. The volatile components are adsorbed onto a solid alumina adsorbant which has been pre-treated with ethyl acetate that alters the relative affinity of the adsorbant for the terpenes and for the oxygenated components of the oil. The terpenes are separated from the desired constituents of the oil by elution of the adsorbant with a terpenephilic solvent.
The present invention utilizes a rectification or fractionation process that does not require adsorption or elution of the essential oils. The fractionation removes the "heads" and "tails" of the oils which are primarily comprised of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. These are removed by vacuum distillation or on a spinning band column. By removing the monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in this manner, the mint oils are rendered more hydrophilic resulting in superior flavor release attributes.